WNBA's Cameron Brink Talks Reaction to Caitlin Clark-Carter and More in B/R Interview

Cameron Brink knows there has been plenty of discussion about the physical play this year's WNBA rookie class is adjusting to and facing.

But she also knows it's nothing they can't handle.

"It's humbling," the Los Angeles Sparks forward told Bleacher Report. "It's definitely a huge step up. But I don't think it's anything the rookie class isn't ready for. We need some time and deserve some time as rookies to learn and go through this. We'll make adjustments. That's the great thing about being a rookie, you have some time to make mistakes even though it's also hard to navigate the newness of it."

Much has been made about the step up in physical play that comes with the transition into the WNBA, and it reached another level after Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter knocked Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to the ground during Saturday's game.

Carter criticized the star rookie in the aftermath, and the situation led to discourse about the Fever needing enforcers around Clark—who previously told reporters she feels "like I'm getting hammered."

For her part, Brink is a frontcourt player who battles down low against some of the league's most physical players whenever she takes the floor. She also had her own welcome to the WNBA moment in her first ever game, which just so happened to be against the Atlanta Dream and 2012 MVP Tina Charles.

While Charles welcomed her to the league with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Brink still appreciated the overall experience.

"Playing against Tina Charles was really humbling," she said. "She's been in the league for so long and is such a strong force. Unguardable, honestly. When she gets to her middle jump hook, you can't really do much.

"But I kind of laugh at this narrative that veterans mistreat rookies. At the end of the day, it's just competition. Right after the game, she said great job. And everyone has super encouraging things to say. Even Diana Taurasi when we played against the Phoenix Mercury. It's humbling, but everyone is very supportive and I learn something new every day."

Capitalizing on those learning opportunities will be key, as there are plenty of expectations on her shoulders after a dominant college career at Stanford.

She left college as a Cardinal legend with a national championship, three All-American selections and three Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year awards on her resume.

Never was she better than in 2023-24 as the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Pac-12 Player of the Year and member of the Associated Press All-American First Team while averaging 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 2.8 assists per game and shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from deep.

Brink was already going to be a top draft pick based on her defense alone, but elevating her offense and even mixing in an outside shot during her final season resulted in being the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft.

That put her under the spotlight heading into her rookie season, and she is taking a very specific approach to finding success in this first year.

"For me personally, learning a lot," Brink said when asked what would make this a successful rookie campaign. "I believe in learning years, I believe in the power of growth and giving yourself grace. I'm going to work my hardest every single night to make sure we win and keep it really competitive, but this year is about growing and learning. I'm all about growing in every aspect of my game and my knowledge of basketball as both a player and a teammate."

Some of that growth has already been apparent through eight contests, as she is averaging 8.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals a night while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three as someone who is impacting the game in a variety of ways.

And she's also circling one matchup yet to come on her calendar.

"I say this out of respect because I'm going to learn something from it and not because I feel like I really want to go up against her. To be honest I don't," she said. "But Breanna Stewart is a huge role model of mine. I feel like just guarding her versatility will be a huge learning experience for me. So I look forward to that."

Brink will need to learn quickly because her first chance to face the two-time champion, two-time MVP and five-time All-Star will come in back-to-back games on June 20 and June 22 against the New York Liberty.

She will also need to be well-rested for those games, which makes her recent partnership with Mattress Firm ideal.

Brink is the founding member of Mattress Firm's "Team Sleep Well," which is partnering athletes with sleep doctors and sleep technology to focus on the importance of sleep and rest in the sports world.

She will be joined by professional runner Kenny Bednarek and other yet-to-be-announced athletes to promote the importance of rest and recovery in reaching their full athletic potential.

"It's been amazing," Brink said of the partnership. "I am the founding member of Team Sleep Well, and that means I am amplifying voices and talking about the importance of sleep. The premise of it is to connect sleep experts with top athletes to optimize every ounce that we can for rest and recovery.

"It's important to talk about good sleep. Even if you're not an athlete, sleep is the most important thing for your body. So this was the perfect partnership."

That sleep will also better prepare her to help the Sparks add to their rich history that includes three championships, five WNBA Finals appearances and 20 playoff appearances.

That history also includes some of the best centers and forwards to ever play the game in Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Tina Thompson, Nneka Ogwumike and others, and Brink has the opportunity to continue that frontcourt legacy.

"Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike are some of my favorite players ever, so it's surreal to play where they played and be associated with them," she said. "It's not something I take lightly. I think we really do have the potential to be a great organization. Even though this year is technically a rebuilding year, we can still be really good when we put some pieces together here. We're still all learning together as the season goes on. It's really exciting, and I feel nothing but encouraged."

As she said, this season will likely be a rebuilding one after Los Angeles missed the playoffs three times in a row. A big step in that rebuilding process was selecting Brink at No. 2 overall and Rickea Jackson at No. 4 overall, which elevated expectations even if there is still a gap to close with some of the best teams in the league.

That gap has been clear at times during a 2-6 start to the season, although the Sparks have been in some battles early on with a single-digit loss to the reigning-champion Las Vegas Aces, a one-point loss to the Dallas Wings and a split in two games against Clark's Fever.

"We're a young team and we had top draft picks for a reason," Brink said while discussing why Sparks fans should still be optimistic. "When you're coming off a year like that, there just has to be some patience and growth to it. I just hope that they see every night we're still playing together and giving it our all.

"People don't realize how hard it is to win in this league. It's extremely difficult, especially with our shortened season because of the Olympic break. It's a lot on our bodies. Through everything, we're just giving our best effort and genuinely enjoy playing with each other. We don't have any moral victories when it's a close game, but we're working through it. And it's not just for this year, it's for 10 years down the line when there could be a lot of greatness in store."

Unlocking that greatness is exactly why the Sparks drafted her.